settingIndex was once a small and close-knit community, but the town located on the western side of Washington state has grown in recent years beyond anyone's expectations. It is the ideal place for those who work in Seattle but can't afford the city's high real estate prices, and for others the natural beauty attracts them to the town. And Index truly is a beautiful place - surrounded by thick evergreen trees, tall mountains and glistening rivers and lakes. While weather is typically rainy with overcast skies even this does nothing to take away from the beauty of the town, and it is only highlighted further when the heavy snow graces the town and caps the mountains in winter. To many, Index would seem like a paradise. And yet lurking beneath this visual beauty there is more to this town than anyone might ever imagine...

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I rolled my eyes, not particularly caring if I was fucking childish or not. Let's see you say that later on. There was a sullen feeling with that though, but it faded quickly. I wasn't exactly thinking through my actions before doing them, not when instinct was taking over so wholly. I'd never felt so much like a wolf and I sure as hell had never imagined actually enjoying that feeling before. It felt like being properly comfortable in this form now, like my mind had stopped trying to reject what I was now that there was just so much more within me. Like what the ancestors had given me wasn't just knowledge but... shit, maybe some kind of acceptance. Whatever it was now wasn't the time to dwell on it.

Part of my mind was still aware of him, of where he was and how much distance was between us. It would probably take more concentration than I had to turn that awareness of so I didn't bother trying, instead just focusing on following the scent. I let it take over and guide me, let it lead my sprint through the trees. I didn't even spare more than a passing thought to think about how fast I was going, even though it was definitely faster than anything I'd managed before being given my new rank.

I would've guessed as much. Shit, I was confused and a little staggered but I wasn't fucking retarded. Still, I knew he wasn't trying to be a dick or anything so there was no anger accompanying the thought I'd sent him. The scent was intensifying and starting to totally take over my concentration. I slowed, taking the time to properly take it in, concentrating until I could tell where it was most potent. Areas like that we'd obviously avoid so I tried to pick up on the more subtle smells, harder to detect and further from stronger areas.

His words brought me back and I realized how much my mouth was watering and just how much I wanted to find one and give into my most basics and animalistic urges. I get it now, the struggle to resist. Fuck, I don't know how anyone could. The thought of the act alone had me salivating even more, my senses sharpening from sheer need. Finally I had found a trail worth following, one way too faint to come from a group. I pointed it out mentally and took off again, the pads of my paws moving practically soundlessly, leaf litter muffling the sounds of my movement. Hunting instincts were taking over fully now, my body lowering, a new sense of stealth to my movements. Like a beast after it's prey.

A cottage came into view up ahead and it only took a second to discern that it was far removed from any other. At least two inside from what I could tell. Well they soon regret whatever had urged them to seek out so much privacy. I wanted to just spring forward and tear down the door but I stopped myself, going as far as the edge of the treeline which stopped right at the beginning of what seemed to be a yard. A light shone from one of the windows. Wait here. I crouched and moved forward, moving until I could peek through the window. There were two inside, sitting by a fire. I didn't stop to see anymore than that. I didn't fucking care. They were prey, not people, their actions were irrelevant. I backed up and then looked at Onyx again. Show time. Thinking the words alone had adrenaline pumping through my blood in a way I'd never felt. I looked around and spotted at empty flower pot, not thinking and just hitting it with my paw. It skittered across the yard, making enough noise for the mages to notice. I heard voices and crouched, body practically screaming at me as I held back and waited.

The door opened and a figured stepped out, looking around the yard. Another step. Then another. One more and I couldn't fucking take it anymore, the smell was so stronger that it set off a hunger like nothing I'd ever felt before. There was no more holding back, no more shred of whatever it was that had made me feel repulsed by the idea of this once. There was just fucking need, pure and simple. I leapt forward, springing at its back and not giving it a chance to react before my jaws were clamping down around it's neck, teeth slicing through flesh like it was as substantial as butter. With one vicious shake of my head I twisted it's neck, hearing an audible snap and a brief sound that cut off quickly. I didn't stop to think, overtaken but blood lust now, only dimly aware of the sound of what had to be another coming to check. Snarls ripped from my chest as I dragged my prize back to the trees, intent on nothing more than satisfying the hunger that the blood had only fueled. My hind legs cleared the treeline when some sense of self-preservation had me looking up, eyes meeting that of another like the one I dragged, it's expression twisted with emotion. My snarls doubled, possessive now like it might steal my kill. It was so focused on me though, totally and utterly unaware of anything else except me and the body I was still dragging away. Perfect.

My first had been an elder. A couple to be exact, a couple that were foolish enough to walk into our territory which made it all too easy. Their bodies were weak, but their power aged like fine wine. They were so potent and mentally strong that I was drunk on their blood for days. It was like the trip that never ended. But when it finally did end I felt like my body had been shoved down the side of a cliff, rolled into a street, run over by a bus, flung into the river by the rear tires, and banged up by the rocks and rapids before finally going off the edge of the falls. Obviously none of that happened, but that's how I felt. They were too powerful, and that mixed with their weak shells made them a lethal combination. They were easy to catch off guard, easy to kill, but goddamn their age and appearance was really fucking misleading compared to how strongly they affected me. I'd still do it all over again, like a true fucking addict. Never focused on the misery of coming down and always focused on the bliss of being up.

I fell silent when she told me to wait, managing to find a coherent thought in my head for a brief moment. The way she chose to handle the situation intrigued me. Every wolf had their own tactics, their own way of doing things. Hers was far less destructive than my own. I would have busted down the door and leapt inside, ripped them to shreds like the blade of a blender, letting their walls catch their splattered blood like a shell protecting the forest from the mess. The visual of it sent a chill down my spine, that vibrated throughout my entire being causing my legs to tremble and jaw to chatter. Anticipation was manifesting itself in a physical way now, and when I heard the sound of a shatter I nearly jumped from my location like an over eager pup. It brought me back down to reality instead, which was nearly as good as the fantasy, just a couple steps behind in time.

I watched intently as she claimed hers, my eyes darting back and forth from her kill to the entrance of the home like I was watching the ticker on a metronome. The smell of blood reached me and I whined in agony and joy all at once. That whine morphed into a growl, and that growl quickly turned into a snarl, and when I saw the other exit the home that snarl turned into snarly barks and deep rumbles in my chest. I emerged from hiding, my eyes focused tightly on the eyes of mine. My humanity was gone in that moment and something far more powerful took over. It wasn't dark, though some might have thought it was, it wasn't. It was the wolf.

She looked at me with fear in her eyes, which was her first mistake. She turned to run back towards the house, breathing heavy already, but I was faster. Before she could reach the entrance I appeared in front of her snarling so aggressively that I was foaming at the mouth. I worked her away from her house, into the open land in front of it, like I was herding cattle. It was too easy. I knew what her next move would be, and I wanted her to make it. Clouds began to form in the sky at a much faster pace than normal and thunder roared in the distance. ''Stay away from me.'' Her voice was shakey, even though her intent was to sound strong and fearless. Wind began to pick up as I walked circles around her. I wanted her to give her best shot, I wanted the satisfaction of knowing that she gave it her all before I tasted her blood. Rain began to fall and lightning flashed right above us, crackling loudly as it started to strike. Her aim was off by too many miles, she was too shaken.

She finally managed to focus the power of the wind in a confined area, against me, but she wasn't powerful enough. The gust of air shoved me against a tree but stopped immediately after, there was no more movement in the air. The clouds stayed, the thunder still roared, but she was losing juice, and in a way I was consuming everything she was losing. That was her second mistake, she wasn't steady, she didn't pace herself. It wasn't the fight I was looking for but I couldn't wait any longer. Her blood was pumping fiercely, her adrenaline had kicked in and that was all I wanted. I wanted to taste it.

Her juice was drained enough to make the kill easy. I had her pinned on the ground before she could think up her next move, and had her throat ripped out before thunder could echo in the sky again. The second her heart stopped beating the skies above us cleared, rain stopped falling, there was nothing left. Not a howl to the wind, or a flash of lightning. I quickly and aggressively ripped at her flesh, each taste becoming more and more intense and euphoric as I violently ripped her body apart. If anyone had come near me I would have probably ripped their head off in that moment, because I was gone. When I reached her heart I consumed it faster than you could blink an eye. I rubbed my head against her ripped flesh, letting her blood coat my fur, like a cocaine addict after a month long dry spell, I didn't just want it inside of me, I wanted it on all of me. The scent, the feeling, all of it.

Her bones cracked in my jaws and powerful marrow met my tongue sending a jolt of thrill down my legs and through my toes. Once I had consumed all there was worth consuming I licked up the rest like one would their fingers after a perfect meal. I howled over her body in pride before dragging what was left of her shredded remains to a bush near Oveyx. Each step I took felt like walking on air. Everything tingled, every sound was amplified, every faint shift of the earth vibrated up through me. Every color was intensified, far more than it was back at the bonfire, and in a completely different way. I felt like fucking and fighting all at once. I felt like running and rolling through the grass. I felt like yelling and loving and every feeling was that tenfold and all at the same time.

I moved past Oveyx, still within viewing distance of her but in the safety of the tree covering and found a patch of grass where my body shifted slowly this time, but not in the way it does when you turn for the first time. It was different, or maybe not, but it felt different. I lied down on the grass, letting my hands fan over their tips as my eyes rolled into the back of my head for a split second. I lazily reached up and wiped the blood from my mouth with the back of my hand as my head turned to look in her direction. And before I even knew it was happening I was laughing.

Blood was spurting from the ragged gashes I'd torn in its throat, the slowing beats still sluggishly pumping blood through its body as though it hadn't yet realized it wasn't needed anymore. The sound of it fascinated me, the way it faltered and murmured its way to failing and the sound itself brought with it even more of a sense of savage victory. There was no way I'd have ever been able to guess it was going to be like this, no way anyone could have explained it to me because I'd just have been so fucking sure that they were wrong, or exaggerating or that it just wouldn't be the same for me.

The urge to just start tearing into its body was so strong but I managed to keep my focus on the one in front of me. The last thing I needed was to be caught off guard. Something told me that the moment I started there would be very little that could stop me, and that I sure as hell wouldn't be very aware of my surroundings. It was hard enough to focus right now with my mouth and throat coated with liquid more intoxicating than anything I'd ever experienced in my life.

The sounds of Onyx and his prey faded away to nothing as I finally lowered my head, no hesitation as I clamped my jaws around the strong flesh of his forearm and ripped it away. That first proper taste was all it took for the greed to take over. Horrific sounds left me as I gorged, completely mutilating it as I tore it various part of its body at random. I didn't care about order or working my way through. Fuck pacing myself either, not when I just couldn't get enough no matter how fast I consumed. Thoughts were obliterated as ecstasy so pure it was almost painful took over my body and mind. I completely lost track of time, lost track of myself. Teeth tearing through his abdomen like it was no more substantial than dough, I practically pulverized my way up from there to its heart, finally devouring the it after its' stuttering end had been like music to my ears.

A wave of dizziness struck me then, my new power surging in a primal response to acting like a true wolf. I was finally slowing, coming back to myself enough to realize that I was just totally beyond the realms to normal. I was so full now, but the temptation not to let anything go to waste was just so strong. Another mouthful had a wave of sensation sweep through me, all the different events of the night that had effect my body were piling up on me. It was one thing to experience your first high from a mage kill, it was another to combine that with the herbs from the bonfire and the effects of obtaining a new rank. I was so overwhelmed in that moment that I took a step back, shaking my head like I could rid it of the sparks that seemed to be popping up in the edges of my vision.

Movement behind me brought out a feral growl, even though my mind registered in a detached way that it was just Onyx. I watched him until he moved away, turning my attention back to the... thing that lay before me. I used my nose to turn it, untouched back exposed as I started working at its spine, eyes rolling back into my head as the taste of the cartilage hit my tongue. I couldn't stop, even though I needed to. Bones crunched and snapped until I just couldn't take anymore. I collapsed over my kill, panting heavily as my muscles convulsed. So much fucking pleasure course through me that I couldn't focus on anything else. Seconds stretched into hours in that moment and I dimly registered my body moving again, dragging the remains over to where I'd seen Onyx leave his.

I backed away, stumbling as I did so and managing to gather my mind enough to turn back. It felt strange to give up the wolf and right then I was almost reluctant to do it. But I was glad when I had. I leaned against the tree, the feeling of even just the air brushing off my skin was so intense that I bit my lip. The sound of laughter drew my attention, eyes finding Onyx and grinning. I took a shaky step away from the tree only for my legs to tremble so much that I immediately collapsed and started laughing myself, just lying there until my sides hurt from it. When I could finally move again I just crawled my way over, stopping when I'd reached his side and sitting back. I swept my hair over one shoulder, distractedly running my fingers through it until my skin caught my eye. The warpaint was still there but covered in large patches of blood now and I found myself intensely pleased with the effect.

The urge to move was so strong but I was still shaking so hard from just... everything that I knew it'd be impossible. Instead I took stock of my body, running a hand down the side of my neck and over my bare shoulder, fascinating by how more I seemed to be able to feel even from that. Smooth skin to dry paint to wet blood, a pattern that repeated itself over and over. I stopped, laughing again and looking at him, noticing the blood on him now and reaching forward, trailing my fingertips through it and then over the skin that was uncovered too. I leant forward until I could press my forehead against his chest. I'm so fucked. I breathed, then laughed, turning my head so I could watch my hand trailing over his abdomen, totally and completely fascinated by the motion and the way doing it brought its own sense of strange intensity.

Sounds faded in and out but one caught my attention the most. Water. Running water to be specific, not that that was my strong point right then. Vaguely I thought about getting up but after a second I couldn't remember why I'd even wanted to. I just sighed and continued what I was doing until it popped back into my head and I immediately I was sitting bolt upright. I managed to get myself to my feet and stumbled for the nearest tree. I fell heavily against it and slid back down, not able to say upright. My legs were still shaking too much from leftover adrenaline and the high I was feeling, as well of surges of my power that currently made me wonder if I'd ever get used to them. I tried again but still couldn't stay standing for more than a moment. A frustrated mix of a growl and whine left me, surprisingly wolf-like even though I was human now. I looked at Onyx. There's a river that way. I said with a gesture. It led away from mage territory too. The idea of getting to soak in cool water made me groan, realizing how heated I felt. Maybe another couple of minutes and I'd actually be able to make my way there.

I didn't know why I was laughing, I could only assume it was my bodies response to being pumped so full of... everything. It didn't matter, when she shifted back and started laughing too, I laughed so hard my laughter went silent and my sides ached. Then it just stopped and my eyes widened at the sky as my head cocked to the side. The pulsing twinkle of the stars was intensified, it was hypnotic.

My head shot to the side as I heard a splash of water. I looked around, trying to see what caused the sound but nothing was there. My eyes then narrowed on a leaf beside me. Water was pilling up at it's end and dropping to the ground, and I could hear the sound of each drop crashing into the soil. Then the sound of everything else just piled on top. The woods were quiet tonight, I knew they were, I had just experienced the silence before my kill. But now I fully understood just how loud everything was. Twigs snapping, unable to support their own weight. Trees groaning from the shift of the earth and the force of a light wind that I didn't even know was there only minutes ago. Everything had a sound, and those sounds were amplified, and I could control which sounds I wanted to hear. It was like the equivalent of focusing with your eyes, but with my ears.

That wasn't the only sense of mine that was amplified, everything was. Colors were intense, even in the dark. Every thing that had even the slightest bit of movement was illuminated. It was an energetic and heightened form of night vision. It was almost psychedelic, but not. Leaves weren't just green, they were glowing greens, with yellow, brown, red, gold, and blue undertones. I could see each fucking pixel sized fragment of everything and the colors that made up everything. Everything was sharp and clear and glowing, loud and quiet, and my entire being was overwhelmed with it's beauty in a good and intimidating way all at once.

I was physically, mentally, and spiritually bonded to everything. I could control everything. I was everything. Then everything seemed to mute and pause when I felt something on my skin. It was an entirely new sensation, one that came with it's own intensified appearance and sound. My eyes widened as I watched her hand. I could feel the microscopic ridges of the skin on her fingers and the blood pumping behind it. My jaw dropped in amazement and eyes widened slightly at it's appearance. I lifted my hands to look at their palms. Could I do that too? The appearance of them and the way they seemed to radiate with a glowing light even when I held them still was captivating. Even when I tried to avoid movement it was like they were vibrating, I was so lost in it I had forgotten the sensation of touch. That was until I felt a wave of heat on my chest, it seemed to fan out in all directions like a fucking atomic bomb. I dropped my hands and looked down, seeing her forehead pressed against me.

Her hair, the movement of it, the light, holy fucking shit. My eyes widened even more, Your fucking hair is on fire. I said as I reached forward to touch it, suddenly amazed at the sound of my own voice and the vibration it caused in my throat. I could feel the heat of my own breath escaping me as I spoke. And then her hair, the look, the feel, the everything. Fuck I was fucked up. My eyes started to fill with tears from my refusal to even blink in fear of missing a moment of anything, and I started to laugh again as they filled my eyes and overflowed at the corners.

When she perked up I did too. Every muscle in my body tensed to their max and I stared in the direction she gestured, trying to filter through the noise so I could focus on the sound of the water in the distance. But the more my muscles tensed the more I enjoyed the burning feeling that came with it. No, I needed to focus, and finally I could hear it. It was like a fucking song the way the water moved, the sound of it, and I didn't want to just hear it I wanted to feel it too. Fuck you're brilliant. I said as if I had just heard the meaning of life and I was reacting to it. Holy fucking shit that's a good idea. I said, almost whining it as I placed my hands over my face.

I stood up quickly, smiling at the head rush it gave me, and smiling even wider at the feeling of using my leg muscles to hold me up right. I extended my arms out to my sides and let my head tip back, as if the feeling of it was entirely new. God, everything was entirely new. Including the sound that came from behind Oveyx. I immediately dropped my hands and narrowed my eyes behind her at the sound of a third heartbeat. Someones coming. I said without breaking focus. My body shifted back into my wolf form, sending powerful surges of a million different sensations throughout me, and I paused. I held as still as I possibly could, pacing my breathing slowly and waited. Something was out there. Someone was out there.

The full moon cast an eerie glow over the woods, pale shafts of light filtering down through the trees to illuminate the forest floor below. It was so bright my flashlight was almost rendered useless but I kept the device on, as every so often a thicker branch canopy obscured the natural light and returned my surroundings to a gloomy, more typical night-time darkness. A chill ran down my spine but I didn't stop, my gaze alert and searching the scenery, gun pointed to the floor ahead of me. I wasn't certain exactly what I was looking for out in the middle of the woods, except - Sam.

There's nothing that I can see. Officer Clark informed me, raising an eyebrow out of view from the group of campers who'd called in the disturbance. This lot probably imagined it, or did it themselves. His eyes widened in a message and I had to admit the spell of plot still clung to the dreadlocked teenagers. I sighed, but nodded my head. Okay, let's go.

It was as I was walking off that I caught the slight movement out of the corner of my eyes. I turned, scanning the undergrowth. Wait here for a minute... I'm just going to do one last perimeter check. I heard Clark's irritated grumble but I'd already forged forward, hand resting on the hilt of my holstered gun as I walked in the direction of the noise. There was another rustling of undergrowth and I sprinted forward, heart heavy in my chest. I saw a flurry of movement, twigs snapping underfoot as something blurred forward ahead of me, just out of sight. All of a sudden it stopped, and turned. The gaze bore that bore into me inspired such shock that my feet stopped moving and I ground to a halt.

...Sam. I breathed, eyes widening when recognition sparked in the familiar amber gaze. He was smeared with dirt, unkempt and unwashed - and unclothed. But it was Sam. Sam.

Then as quickly as those fiery eyes had warmed, the look disappeared, and Sam with it, flashing out of view. I called out for him, voice and heart desperate as I surged forward again. I wasn't losing him again after having hunted for so long. Thoughts flashed through my head as trees flashed past me but I pushed the questions away, straining to follow the noises as Sam crashed through the undergrowth ahead of me.

Then there was a series of sharp snaps and a grunt, a sickening, choked whine that verged on a scream, and...

Silence.

I stepped forward cautiously, the wood falling silent. Sam? I called for him again, but there was less certainty in my words. I circled the area to scan every inch of woodland but there was no longer any sign of him. My heart fell and I waited longer, watching, listening. After a few minutes I let out a breath, feeling deflated. I turned to leave.

There was another flash of movement behind me as soon as I moved and I whirled back round, desperate to see Sam again. Instead I took a staggering step back. I only connected my gaze with it's for a split second, but the large, terrifying creature that thereafter raced away could only be described as a wolf.

-

Find anything? Officer Clark asked when I returned. If he noticed how shaken I was, he didn't mention it. No, I said, shaking my head. ...just an animal.

The image of the dark wolf and it's unsettling gaze haunted my mind all the way back to the station.

Many times, I had returned to the woods and searched. I'd not yet caught a glimpse of Sam, or the wolf, but I knew what I'd seen and it was the most evidence I had to go on. And while I hadn't found Sam, I'd neither found a body.

A thunderclap broke through the otherwise silent and still night. I paused and watched the sky above, knowing it wasn't forecast for rain. And yet without warning a torrent suddenly started pouring down, drenching my uniform in a matter of seconds and completely obscuring my vision. The sound was deafening. I let out a shocked gasp and sucked in a breath of air through the hammering raindrops. They hurt where they hit my skin. Time dripped away with the water, seemingly hours passing as I struggled to see even a foot in front of me.

And then it stopped.

I stood, shivering, soaked and slightly nervous, listening to the soft patters of built up water dripping to the ground in the otherwise silent woods. I chanced a step forward. I wished I knew why I felt at such unease, why the sudden downpour had struck such a nerve within me. I was a detective, for goodness sake. A large part of my job involved hunting criminals, oft times dangerous, ruthless people with no humanity. A dark forest and freak weather should be child's play. I set my shoulders squarely and continued forward, my determination renewed.

It only doubled when the distinct sound of laughter filtered through the wood towards me. It sounded purely maniacal and as odd as that was, the familiarity of the human laughter calmed me. I switched straight back into detective mode and turned my flashlight off. I quickened my pace again, picking my way over tree roots and stones as quietly as I could with my gun raised. The laughter had stopped, but I knew which direction it was in. My gaze darted repeatedly back and forth from the sparsely illuminated floor before my feet to the woods ahead of me.

Then I saw it. A figure, or possibly two, obscured by the trees in the patchy light. In the rush of adrenalin I missed a beat, forgetting to look down.

My next step met the ground with a sickening, wet, crunch. It echoed through the air, in my ears, as I looked down and lifted my foot, only to see the scarce remains of the flesh, cartilage and muscle that had once surrounded the milky white bones trodden into the damp soil. The bones of a hand. A human hand.

I managed to stop the scream in my throat, choking in horror and disgust, but impulsive instinct took over and before I even knew what I was doing, I'd fired a warning shot off into the clearing ahead of me.